FLOWERY BRANCH – Former Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, who played at the Marist School, was elated to be selected 14th overall by the Baltimore Ravens on Friday.
“It feels great,” Hamilton said via phone to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday. “I’m with a great franchise that has had a lot of success. It couldn’t have been a more perfect storm.”
Hamilton was considered the No. 1 prospect in the draft by some analysts at the start of the pre-draft process, but he ran slower than expected 40-yard dash times at his Pro Day and combine. He fell to the Ravens.
“It’s one of those things where you can’t, at the end of the day, you can’t look back on it,” Hamilton said. “I wish I could have it back. But I mean, now I’m in a great position, and I won’t really worry about the 40 anymore and all that other stuff. I’ll never have to do it again in my life. God has put me in the right place.”
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah had Hamilton as his fifth-rated player in the draft. He believes the Ravens got a steal and a high-value pick with the 14th selection.
“Kyle Hamilton is fascinating in this (draft),” Jeremiah said.
Hamilton, 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, enjoyed other aspects of the pre-draft process.
“It was good,” Hamilton said. “I was long. It was hard, but it was good at the end of the day. Meeting everybody was awesome.”
The Ravens were stunned that Hamilton was still available.
“Never dreamed in a million years that he would be there,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta told the team’s website. “It was a no-brainer for us, really.”
Now that the Ravens have Hamilton, they have big plans for him.
“At the end of the day, I’m just bringing some flexibility,” Hamilton said. “I think I bring a lot of versatility with the different things that I can do, that may free up some other spots for other people and also deepen the playbook a little bit. So, I think we’re all on the same page in that sense.”
Hamilton reflected on his time at Marist and his football journey. He was an AJC Super 11 selection in 2018, the first from Marist since Bartley Miller in 2001. He scored a 30 on the ACT, which put him in the 93rd percentile. He has a high football IQ.
Hamilton has great range and shows up at the ball. He finished his career with 136 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, eight interceptions and 24 pass breakups.
“It’s hard to see it in high school because you’ve still got a long way to go,” Hamilton said. “But Marist definitely prepared me well and just playing football in Georgia, it’s very competitive. You’re going against D-I dudes every week. It prepares you really well, and I thank Marist for that.”
Hamilton went to Las Vegas and enjoyed the draft.
“I flew out early (Friday) morning to Baltimore from Vegas,” Hamilton said. “I got to the facility. Went to the hotel and back to the facility. I met everybody. It’s been a great time. I guess this is going to be my home for the foreseeable future so I’m excited to get settled in and get comfortable.”
Hamilton visited with the Falcons, who had the eighth overall pick.
“Maybe, but I was thinking that about every team,” Hamilton said when asked if he though the Falcons would draft him. “You just never know going into it. You get a better idea once the draft starts unfolding, but it was still up in the air.”
He enjoyed his visit to Flowery Branch.
“It went well,” Hamilton said. “They got some good ownership. Good pieces in Kyle Pitts, and they just got Drake (London), and Drake is going to be a monster in the league. They’ve got some good pieces for sure.”
Hamilton and London faced off briefly in college.
“But I got hurt early in that game,” Hamilton said. “I was supposed to actually play some corner, some press-man on him, but it never happened because I got hurt. I can’t look back on that.”
Hamilton is ready to make his transition into the NFL.
“It starts with today,” Hamilton said. “Actually, meeting everybody and getting comfortable and then starting next week with the rookie minicamp and just going into the season from there on. The work starts very soon. So, I’m excited to get started and get to work. So, I’m at the beginning of new journey.”
The Bow Tie Chronicles
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